


Mixed Signals

by Bbnabhk



Category: Take That (Band)
Genre: M/M, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-18
Updated: 2019-11-18
Packaged: 2021-02-12 15:35:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21478711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bbnabhk/pseuds/Bbnabhk
Summary: Gary gets jealous.
Relationships: Ayda Field/Robbie Williams, Dawn Barlow/Gary Barlow, Gary Barlow/Robbie Williams
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	Mixed Signals

The minute the hotel door closed behind them, Gary and Robbie were all over each other, their luggage haphazardly tossed to the side. Gary pushed the taller man against the door and pressed a kiss to his lips, tongue slipping inside with ease. He received an appreciative moan in response. He reached down and began undoing Robbie’s belt followed by the top button of his jeans. As he lowered the zipper, a knock came at the door.

Gary put a finger to his mouth urging his lover to keep silent.

“Gary?” a familiar female voice called out.

“Dawn!” His eyes widened. Robbie quickly tiptoed into the bathroom and closed the door behind him as Gary opened the door to his wife. “What are you doing here?”

“Don’t act so happy to see me,” she teased. “Mum offered to take the kids for the week, so I thought I’d surprise you in New York.” She dropped her bags down next to the pile on the floor. “Is someone else here? Why are there so many suitcases?”

On cue, the toilet flushed, and Robbie walked out with a smile. “Dawn, darling! Don’t mind me. My room’s not ready yet, and I really had to use the loo. Gaz, was nice enough to let me in.” He gave Dawn a peck on the cheek and bent down to pick up his bags. “Sorry for the mess. Just threw those down and ran. I’ll go check on my room and give you two some privacy.”

He gave them a forced smile and headed out the door.

“It’s always an adventure with Rob, isn’t it?” Dawn commented with a laugh.

“You can say that again.” Gary dug in his pocket in search of something, anything really. He ended up pulling out a charging cable. “I just remembered I borrowed this from him earlier. Let me catch up with him before he gets too far. I’ll be right back.” The lie was feeble at best, but Dawn seemed to accept it.

Gary bolted out the door and down the corridor to catch up with Robbie, who was waiting for the lift. “Where are you going?” he asked, catching his breath once he approached his friend.

“To the lobby and then back up to my room. It’ll look less suspicious that way.” This was obviously not Robbie’s first time in this kind of situation. “I’ll probably see what Marky’s up to after that.”

Gary frowned. “Give me a couple of hours. I’m sure I can slip away after I get her settled in.”

Robbie shrugged noncommittally. “If you want to spend time with your wife…” The lift doors opened. Robbie backed in with his eyes still on Gary.

“A couple of hours,” Gary promised. “I’ll text you.”

  
  


_ I tried your number at nine but to no avail _

_ Tried again at eleven, got sent straight to voicemail _

_ You said you needed a calm, quiet night alone _

_ But that don't explain why you're not picking up the phone _

  
  


Gary picked up his phone and checked for any messages from Robbie. It was the fourth time in five minutes. Still no response. He waited another five minutes before sending another message.

“Where R U???”

He finally received a reply. “Just outside hotel. B up in a sec”

Minutes later, he heard laughter emanating from the hall. He walked over to the door and checked the peephole. Robbie had made no move to enter his room or his own. He was leaning against the door to the room opposite of Gary’s while Mark had his hand on the doorframe. Their heads were hunched close together. Each time one of them whispered something, the other would giggle loudly.

Gary gripped the door handle and yanked his door open. The two youngest members of the band looked at him in surprise. They looked like school boys facing the headmaster.

“I’ve been texting you,” Gary said, trying to keep his tone even.

“Sorry, Gaz,” Robbie replied sheepishly. “We found an Irish pub and watched the end of the Leeds match. Reception was spotty in there. Didn’t even see your messages until we were around the corner.”

“You don’t even like Leeds.”

“I do!” Mark defended. One look from Gary, and Mark decided to remain quiet.

“Sorry, Marky. Captain Barlow needs my attention,” Robbie joked, trying to ease the tension. “C’mon, Gaz, my room’s down here.” He led a very morose Gary down the corridor and into his room.

As soon as Robbie closed the door behind him, Gary pulled him down for a rough kiss.

Robbie pushed him back onto the bed. “You weren’t being very kind to Marky back there,” he admonished.

Gary pulled him down on top of his body, grinding their hips together. “Maybe I’d be nicer if you’d stop flirting with him.”

Robbie paused. “Flirting? When have I ever flirted with Mark?”

Gary looked at him like he had three heads. “You’re kidding, right?”

Robbie shook his head innocently.

“Do you not even know you’re doing it?”

“Doing what?” The younger man had no idea what he was talking about.

“Well, off the top of my head, there was that time you groped him and kissed him on the lips on live television.”

Robbie scoffed. “On X-Factor? We were just having a laugh.”

“How about when you took that Take That marriage quiz and said you hoped it was Mark?”

“I said I thought it would be Mark,” Robbie corrected. “We have more in common.”

“How about every single time you sing ‘The Flood’ together?”

“We’re just having fun on stage.”

Gary sighed. “Do you know how it makes me feel when I see him basically hanging off of you?”

“Probably how I feel when I see you with your wife,” Robbie retorted. “Except I know you’re sleeping with her.” He rolled off of Gary. “Talking about Dawn and Mark isn’t really getting me in the mood.”

“You’re right,” Gary conceded. He crawled over to the brunette and placed a kiss on his jaw. “If you say there’s nothing going on with you and Mark, I believe you.” He placed another kiss on Robbie’s neck. “Now, can we get back to what we were doing before Dawn gets back from the hotel spa?”

He felt the rumble of Robbie’s laugh from his neck. “Is that how you got rid of her?”

“Full service package.”

“Do I get that too?” Robbie asked cheekily.

Gary rolled his eyes. “I’ll see what I can do,” he said as he lowered his head to Robbie’s crotch.

  
  


_ Now I'm driving through the city like a bullet in my seat _

_ And I hold my breath when I hit your street _

_ You were restless when you told me everything was alright _

_ One quiet night alone _

_ If nothing is wrong _

_ How come you're not home _

  
  


Gary hurried back and forth across his hotel room the next morning, quickly throwing on clothes. “I can’t believe I forgot to set my alarm!”

Dawn smiled at him calmly from the bed. “They’re not going to get started without you.”

“I know, but this is our first meeting with Chris since Rob agreed to record some tracks with us. There’s just so much to discuss.” He stopped and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “And I feel bad for leaving you here when you flew all this way to spend time with me.”

“Don’t worry about it. We have the rest of our lives together.”

He gave her another kiss. “You’re the best!” He glanced down at his watch. “I have to go!”

By the time Gary arrived at the meeting room inside the recording studio, the other lads and their manager were already sitting and chatting comfortably. He looked at Chris, their manager, leaning against the arm of Robbie’s chair, showing him something on his phone. He whispered something into Robbie’s ear, and the pop star nodded in agreement.

Chris grinned. “Great! Half past five? I’ll come by your room,” Gary heard as he approached them.

“Sounds good,” Robbie agreed.

“What’s going on?” Gary inquired.

Chris hadn’t moved from his position. In fact, he threw an arm around Robbie, making Gary seethe inwardly. “Oh nothing. I’m just showing Rob some places around town later on. He was particularly interested in places to play some footie. The place you played at before is now a Starbucks.”

“That’s really nice of you, but Rob knows how to use Google. No need to go out of your way,” Gary said through gritted teeth. Thankfully no one noticed.

“Not a problem at all,” Chris said happily. “Like I told Robbie earlier, I’m Take That’s manager. And since he’s part of Take That, that essentially makes me his manager too. And I like to take care of all my clients’ needs personally.”

Gary could have sworn he saw Chris wink at Robbie, and he certainly didn’t like the innuendo dripping from his voice.

“Why don’t we all go?” he offered pragmatically.

“Ehm, Gaz, isn’t Dawn with you?” Mark reminded him.

“She’d love to see New York,” Gary countered. “We’ll walk around with you lot and then find a place for dinner.”

Chris eyed him up and down momentarily. “Okay, that sounds like a plan,” he conceded. “Why don’t we get this meeting started?”

  
  


_ And it's almost 3AM _

_ When you decide to show? _

_ You're gonna tell me where you've been _

_ Don't spare me the details, I wanna know _

_ What does he look like? _

_ What does he talk like? _

_ Thought you wanted to make this work _

_ But you're sending me mixed signals _

  
  


Gary gripped his wife’s hand tightly as they followed behind Robbie and Chris. Mark had decided to stay in and nap, while Howard had wandered off within the first ten minutes after spotting a collection of classic cars in a car park.

Gary watched as Chris’s arm would occasionally bump against Robbie’s as they chatted. It took everything out of him not to lunge forward when Chris placed a hand on the small of Robbie’s back to direct him to turn.

“Gary, you’re hurting my hand.”

“Sorry,” he muttered, hanging his head apologetically. He loosened his grip on her hand. “Can’t be too careful in New York,” he tried to explain.

Dawn considered he husband’s words and frowned. “Is everything okay? You seem a little annoyed at Robbie and Chris.” She could always see right through him.

“It’s nothing important.” He gave her a meek smile. “I’ll get over it. Besides, I should be paying them no attention when I have you by my side.” He kissed her cheek lovingly.

She smiled back at him. “If you need some space away from them, we can bugger off and go to that wine bar we passed a couple blocks back.”

He heard the hopeful plea in her voice and sighed. “Maybe. Let me talk to Rob.” He caught up with the pair at the crosswalk. “Lads, Dawn saw a place she wanted to check out.”

“Okay, we’ll catch up with you tomorrow.” Robbie gave him a knowing nod.

“But…”

“Don’t worry, Gaz,” Chris assured him. “I’ll take good care of Rob.” He patted the brunette’s back with a little too much familiarity for Gary’s liking.

“I’m sure you will.” He turned his attention to Robbie. “Maybe I’ll see you back at the hotel later?”

“Yeah, sure,” came a noncommittal response. “Ooh! Is that a magic shop over there?”

Gary watched as his lover ran off across the street, chased closely by his manager. Dawn laughed at the sight of the two but stopped when she saw her husband’s forlorn face.

“Are you sure everything’s okay?”

“Yeah.” He took her hand back into his. “Nothing a few glasses of red wine won’t fix.”

  
  


_ With lowered emotion, you greet me and I'm overcome _

_ 'Cause your body language is speaking in another tongue _

_ First you tell me that you needed some excitement in your life _

_ Then you grab the handle and turn the knife _

_ Accusations of obsessive misbehaviour like we ain't been down  _

_ To hell and back _

_ And made untrue _

_ I thought that was you _

  
  


In hindsight, they really should have eaten something before going to the wine bar, Gary thought as he laid Dawn into bed early that night. She had pretty much fallen asleep against him during the cab ride back. He himself felt more than a little tipsy and just a bit frisky, so he quietly slipped out of the room and down the corridor. He knocked on Robbie’s door and shifted from foot to foot impatiently as he waited.

“Gaz!” Robbie looked surprised to see him. He stared at his friend dumbfounded. “You’re back early.”

“Are you going to invite me in?”

“Yeah, but…” When Robbie stepped aside, Gary could see why he was so hesitant.

“Chris.” His manager was lying comfortably on the bed, the bed that he and Robbie had shared just the night before. He pushed his way into the room, stumbling over his own feet.

“Gaz!” Chris sat up straight when he noticed Gary boring his eyes into him. He pointed at the laptop beside him. “We’re watching Love Island if you want to join us.”

“Thanks, but I wanted to work on something Rob and I started last night.” He looked at Robbie expectantly.

“You lads have the studio booked for the next two weeks. Relax. Take the night off,” Chris said obliviously.

“I’m rather excited about working on this,” Gary replied, a hint of irritation creeping into his voice.

“What about Dawn?” Robbie asked feebly.

“She’s asleep. A little too much wine and too little dinner.”

Robbie ducked his head and whispered, “She’s not the only one. How much did you have to drink tonight? You smell like a winery.”

Gary turned his glare onto Robbie. “What are you trying to say?”

“Maybe you should join Dawn and call it an early night.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Gary exclaimed.

Robbie looked over at Chris apologetically. “Excuse us for a moment.” He led Gary out the door and into the corridor. “That was less than discreet.”

“You’re trying to get rid of me, so you can spend the night with him,” the smaller man accused.

Robbie ran a hand across his face. “I’m trying to get rid of you because I’ve been sober for twenty years, and there’s alcohol seeping out of your pores.”

Gary crossed his arms. “So you have no plans to sleep with him tonight?”

Robbie sighed. “Don’t do this, Gaz.”

“Don’t do what? If I’m sharing you with someone else, I’d like to know.”

“Go back to your wife.”

“Answer my question,” Gary pressed.

“I can’t believe you’d think I would.”

“I want to hear you say it.”

“You know what, Gaz?” Robbie snapped. “I don’t know if I’m going to sleep with him or not, but it sure as hell is not any of your business.”

“Of course it is! I’m your…” the blonde stopped himself.

“My what? What are we, huh? What happens when someone comes along and offers me more than being your dirty little secret?” Gary remained silent. “I know you’re never going to leave her.”

“She was the only one who stayed by my side when the world turned against me, including you. Especially you.”

Robbie winced at the words but nodded, acknowledging the truth. “I don’t blame you. But you can’t blame me for wanting something more, even if it’s not with you.”

“But…” Gary didn’t know what to say.

“Go back to your wife,” Robbie repeated. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”

Gary bit his lip but said nothing. This was not how this night was supposed to end. This was not how he had imagined this trip that he had looked forward to so much.

Robbie put a hand on his door handle but paused. “I’m not going to sleep with him tonight,” he promised before disappearing back into his room.

  
  


_ And it's almost 3AM _

_ When you decide to show _

_ You're gonna tell me where you've been _

_ Don't spare me the details, I wanna know _

_ What does he look like? _

_ What does he talk like? _

_ Thought you wanted to make this work _

_ But you're sending me mixed signals _

  
  


The next morning, Gary was surprised to see Robbie tugging his luggage out of his room. 

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to go see Jonny for a few days.”

“Jonny?”

“Jonny Wilkes, my best mate,” Robbie explained.

“I know who Jonny is,” Gary huffed.

“Then why’d you ask? Are you worried I’m going to shag him too?” Robbie asked snarkily.

“I was just surprised. We’re working at making a record here.”

“It’s just for a few days.”

Gary pouted. “You mean you’ll be back when Dawn leaves.”

Robbie pushed past him. “I’ll be back when I figure out what I want.”

“What do you mean?” the blonde asked worriedly, following him down the corridor.

“I mean, what we have is fun, but there’s no future for us. I’m not getting any younger, and I don’t want to be a serial bachelor for the rest of my life.”

“Rob…”

Robbie sighed as he pressed the button for the lift. “There’s someone else, Gaz,” he admitted. “Her name’s Ayda. We’ve been dating on and off for a few months.”

Gary felt a tightness in his chest and paused to catch his breath. “Are you in love with her?”

“I could be if I let myself.”

Gary pressed his eyes shut. It hurt. He knew he had no right to feel that way, but he did. Before he had a chance to react, the lift doors opened. He opened his eyes and gave Robbie a sad smile. “I guess you should go figure out what you want then.”

  
  


_ And in the dusk we fall apart _

_ The sun's got his elbow _

_ In the rib cage of town _

_ I'm breaking down _

_ And it's almost 3AM _

_ When you decide to show _

_ You're gonna tell me where you've been _

_ Don't sugarcoat it, girl, I want the blow-by-blow _

_ What does he look like? _

_ What does he talk like? _

_ Thought you wanted to make this work _

_ But you're sending me mixed signals _

_ Yeah, sending me mixed signals _

  
  


Gary spent the next few days scouring Twitter and Instagram for mentions of Robbie. He had easily found the actress Ayda Field in a Google search and spent hours reading up on his competition while Dawn slept beside him. 

He couldn’t help but compare himself to her. The hair, the lips, the tall curvy figure - Gary could see the attraction. He stood in front of the full-length mirror that morning and checked his own curves. Robbie had never made any complaints about his body since they’ve been together; in fact, he would jokingly make quips about how much he liked it to the public. Still, it worried Gary that Rob had gone for someone completely different from himself.

By the end of the second day, his obsession had grown quite obvious.

“Call him,” Dawn said the following day as they walked back to the hotel from lunch. “You two clearly had a fight, and he left. I could feel the tension between you two, and it’s still eating you up now.”

“It’s not that simple.” 

“I can’t leave tonight knowing you’re still in turmoil. Someone has to take the first step.” She reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his phone, sticking it straight into his hand.

He stared down at the screen for a moment before shaking his head and dialing.

“Hello?”

“Hi.” Gary bit his lip, not quite knowing what to say.

“I’ll be back tonight. Late. Like 3am.”

“Have you had time to think?” Gary asked vaguely.

“Yeah,” came a single-word response.

“And have you come to a decision?” Gary looked over to his wife as he waited for a response. She smiled patiently at him by the hotel entrance.

“I think so.”

“And?”

“We should probably talk in person. Look, the flight’s about to take off. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Okay. Safe travels.” Gary hung up and shrugged at Dawn. “He’s on his way back. We’ll talk then.” He wrapped an arm around her. “Let’s grab your bags and get you back to London and the kids.”

As they walked across the hotel lobby to the elevators, he caught a glimpse of someone in his periphery, but his mind was too distracted.

“Tell the kids I miss them,” he said as they entered the lift. He reached to press a button when someone shouted at them.

“Wait! Hold the elevator!”

Gary reached out an arm to stop the closing door. He looked up to see a woman running frantically toward them with her luggage in tow.

“Thank you so much!” She settled in beside them and looked over. “Oh my god, you’re Gary Barlow!”

Gary turned to her. Years of being in the spotlight had trained him not to show his emotions outwardly, but inside he was horrified. Standing next to him was none other than Ayda Field.

“You don’t know me, but I’m dating Robbie Williams. He flew me out here to meet up with him,” she said cheerfully.

“Oh,” was all Gary could say. “How nice.”

“His room is close to yours, isn’t it?”

Gary could only nod.

“Lead the way.”

  
  


_ Darling, darling believe me _

_ Know that, no you don't need me _

_ Break up, you know it won't please me _

_ Sweetheart, let me down easy _

_ Cut me loose, baby, don't tease me _

_ Oh Lord, let me down easy _

_ Sending me mixed signals _

  
  


Gary dropped Dawn off at the airport and considered waiting until Robbie’s flight arrived. After being informed that the flight was delayed, he thought better of it and decided to return to the hotel and wait for him there. He sat at the edge of his bed and tapped his fingertips together nervously. Time seemed to go slower as 3am drew closer.

He checked his laptop for the tenth time to see if Robbie’s flight had landed.

“What!” he exclaimed. The delayed flight had landed half an hour early. “Shit!” He immediately jumped up and rushed to the door to peek out the peephole. Half an hour was more than enough time for Robbie to get to the hotel.

Minutes passed before he saw a figure walk by. Robbie stopped in front of his door and stared. Gary wondered if the other man could sense him spying on him from the other side. He watched as Robbie heaved his shoulders and walk on.

Gary turned around and collapsed against the door. Robbie had made his decision. He turned his head toward the minibar and contemplated a stiff drink. “No, my drunken accusations were what caused him to leave in the first place,” he thought to himself. Instead, he pushed himself up and walked to the hotel phone. He ordered himself a steak and stout pie, another of his vices. Gary shook his head. They really brought out the best and the worst in each other.

As he waited for room service, Gary thought about how he was going to face Robbie in the morning. They still had an album to record. He groaned into his pillow. He was going to have to smile and pretend to be happy for Robbie and Ayda. He sighed. He wanted Robbie to be happy, right? “I want to be the one who makes him happy,” he admitted to himself. “I want to be the one who makes him smile.”

He sat in the dark and tried to steady his breathing after the realization hit. It wasn’t just an affair to him anymore; he had actual feelings for Robbie. Robbie, who was now proclaiming his love to Ayda.

A knock came at the door. Gary dug in his wallet for a tip as he walked over. He had always been an emotional eater, and god did he need to drown his sorrows in a flaky crust right now.

“Sorry, mate, I’ve only got a couple of dollars on me,” he said as he opened the door. He pulled out a couple of bills and looked up. “Rob,” he gasped.

Robbie smiled and took the money from his hands. “I’ll take it.”

“What are you doing here?” Gary asked. 

“Can we talk?”

Gary stepped aside and allowed Robbie to walk past him, shouldering a bag.

“I met Ayda,” Gary started. “She seems nice.”

“I broke up with her,” Robbie blurted out unceremoniously.

“You flew her out here to break up with her?” Gary asked incredulously.

Robbie threw his hands out. “I set her up with an audition with this director I know. I figured it was the least I could do after stringing her along all these months.”

Gary nodded. “That was nice of you. Was there anyth—”

He was interrupted by another knock at the door.

Robbie raised an eyebrow. “Do you have many visitors at this hour?”

Gary grabbed his money back from Robbie’s hand and answered the door. He took his tray, slapped the bills into the delivery boy’s hand, thanked him, and slammed the door shut. He set the tray down haphazardly on a side table and turned back to Robbie.

“You said you wanted to talk. Was the break-up all you wanted to tell me?” He searched Robbie’s green eyes for a sign of something more.

The eyes, however, darted to his tray. “Is that a steak and stout pie? I’m famished. I didn’t eat much on the plane. I was too nervous.”

Gary tucked a hand under the other man’s chin and redirected his attention back to him. “What were you nervous about? The break-up or something else?”

Robbie raised his hand and move Gary’s hand to cup his cheek. “I’m in love with you,” he uttered. “I know you’re never going to leave Dawn, so I had to make a decision. Do I stay with someone who will never truly be mine, or do I move on?”

Gary swallowed the lump in his throat. “And?”

“Jonny thinks I’m mental, but I love you, Gaz. If I have to share you with someone else, I’ll find a way to deal with it.” He looked down despondently and frowned. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to be with you,” he whispered.

Gary leaned in and kissed him. “I love you too,” he said, pressing their foreheads together. “We’ll figure this out. No more sneaking around, I promise. I’ll talk to Dawn when I get home.” 

He tugged at Robbie’s other hand to lead him to the bed, but the younger man looked back.

“The pie.”

“Sod the pie. I’m hungry for something else right now.”

“Oh… OH!” Robbie grinned. “Pie after?”

“Pie after,” Gary agreed.


End file.
